Co2 diffuser sucks in water and does not make bubbles - Equipment

Sandscarab · 01-09-2011, 07:01 AM

Hi, I am new to this forum and thought this site would have some knowledgeable people here who might be able to help me with my current problem. I just recently bought a yeast co2 diffuser from petsmart by nutrafin for about 35 bucks to help with my plants slowly dieing. I installed it exactly as the instructions said to do it. Today I looked at it and noticed that not only are there no bubbles coming out of the tube, the tube is drawing water back up into the canister. Everything is sealed tight and has been hanging on the edge of my tank for about a week. What could be doing this? Is it worth it to spend 250.00 at Ada for a "real" diffuser?

freshyleif · 01-09-2011, 07:32 AM

It sounds like your yeast has stopped fermenting and the pressure built up in the line has now reversed. Open the canister and look at the yeast. Should be a little fizzy looking. If not then it has stopped fermenting. When I used yeast it was really important to have the water temperature pretty warm. I also found that even in the mild cold that we have here it would slow down considerably. I have also read here about different types of yeast working better.

Seattle_Aquarist · 01-09-2011, 08:08 AM

Hi Sandscarab,

Welcome to APC! When I was doing DIY CO2 I had that problem happen, usually when my water was too warm. If the water is too warm can not only cause a vacuum but may also "kill" the yeast so fermentation does not occur.

Quote:

The only time I had that happen was when I would attach my bottle to the airline when the fluid was still warm. As the fluid in the bottle cooled to room temperature, and contracted, it created a vacuum and would suck water into the line from the aquarium. Once the yeast starts creating CO2 it should push out most of the water in the airline back into the tank. The way I avoided it was to let the bottle cool until it was room temperature before attaching to the airline.

Here are a thead that may help!
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/f...-co2-line.html

Sandscarab · 01-09-2011, 09:18 AM

Thanks for the replies! I opened it and noticed it smells horrible. Theres no fizz. The yeast came in packets with the diffuser and it also came with a "stabilizer". Not sure what this is but I put it in with the yeast like it said. I remember how the water felt when I poured it in and it was luke warm, not to cold, not too hot. I thought this was a fail safe system but I guess I was wrong. Is it worth it to use straight co2 gas like the links below?

http://www.adana-usa.com/index.php?m...products_id=15

This one is cheaper

http://cgi.ebay.com/Full-Co2-System-...#ht_3651wt_905

Sandscarab · 01-09-2011, 09:43 AM

Ok. I am down to my last packet of the supplied yeast. I added the sugar then a little warmer water and then the yeast. I also noticed the package said "for best results use before 6 months on shelf". Now I don't know how long this co2 box was sitting on the shelf at the store but it had a layer of dust I had to blow off when I picked it up. Could the yeast be dead already? This is my last attempt at making this thing work before I toss it.

Seattle_Aquarist · 01-09-2011, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sandscarab

Could the yeast be dead already?

Yes, the yeast could be too old to activate; but the issue of water coming up your airline is the probably the result of attaching the line before the mix drops to room temperature. Why not pick up some yeast and sugar and make some "fresh" mix?

Sandscarab · 01-09-2011, 10:27 AM

I think that's the best idea. I'm going to go to the grocery store and pick up some Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast packets and see what happens. I read that keeping yeast in the fridge can help it stay active longer, so I'll try that as well. I'll post my results.

Sandscarab · 01-09-2011, 01:06 PM

It works! All it needed was yeast that was actually not 5 years old. That layer of dust on the box was a red flag and I just looked at the yeast packing date and it said 2006. Eh. Anyhow the yeast from the grocery store works perfectly! I added about a 1/4 teaspoon to the canister along with the proper amount of sugar and warm water and in 10 min. bubbles were coming out the tube about 1 per second. This should last about a month.

Thanks for everyones help.

Sandscarab · 01-09-2011, 01:30 PM

Seattle_Aquarist · 01-09-2011, 02:52 PM

Hi Sandscarab,

When I did DIY I found after about a week the CO2 rate dropped substantially and I had to but make a new mix. The duration of an adequate flow rate of CO2 was affected by the volume of mix and ambient room temperature.